Friday, April 04, 2008

My Name is Zak...and I'm a Geek

OK, first and foremost, this post will make more sense if I preface it with this...I'm a geek. Since I was a kid I've played video games, taken apart computers just to see how they work, and I've even read the occasional comic book (and yes Spider-man is a punk and Daredevil would always win in a fight). So, with this is mind, the following may make sense.

Recently I've joined an organization called the Video Game Voters Network (VGVN). The organization was founded in March of 2006. The VGVN opposes regulation on all media art forms but obviously focuses on video games.

The VGVN has recently led a protest against Massachusetts HB 1423, which would have criminalized the sale of Mature rated games to those under 17. The VGVN helped to prevent the bill from passing, and the network has moved to Arizona where a similar bill is in the works (HB 2660).

In reality, video games are only about 35-years-old, meaning they are still young in the grand scheme of things. I do believe that some video games are art (i.e. Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Mass Effect), and that they do hold a purpose in today's society. Do I think that games that are violent for the sake of being violent are art? That's not for me to decide; that's for each individual to choose. With this being said, if the government was to regulate the industry, it would be a form of censorship.

But that's my opinion. You can't pick and choose what is covered under the First Amendment. Video Games are art, and you can't censor art. But hey, make your own decision.